Reprogrammable point-of-sale transaction flows

ABSTRACT

Techniques and arrangements for allowing modification of transaction flows, user interfaces (UIs), receipt configuration and control of buyer-facing displays associated with transactions between a payment service, a merchant and a buyer are provided. Payment service payment functionality is exposed by the payment service via one or more application programming interfaces (API)s, software development kits (SDKs), or some other web-based communication technique (e.g., a uniform resource locator). The payment service payment functionality exposed by the payment service allows a merchant to customize one or more steps of a transaction between a user and a merchant. A merchant can use the exposed payment service payment functionality to configure and modify the look and feel and/or the steps within a transaction flow. The merchant can also modify a receipt to include other information from the information that is included in a default receipt.

BACKGROUND

In today's commerce, merchants often utilize an array of differentelectronic devices, including point-of-sale (POS) devices, to engage intransactions with customers. For example, at a store, a merchant can usePOS devices to conduct transactions with customers. While conductingthese transactions, the POS devices may present user interfaces providedby the payment service that present and receive input from the merchantand/or the customer involved in a transaction. The POS devices can alsosend and receive data with a payment service for assistance incompleting the transaction. For example, a POS device may send data tothe payment service for processing a payment for a good or serviceprovided by the merchant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures, in which the left-most digit of a reference number identifiesthe figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of thesame reference numbers in the same or different figures indicatessimilar or identical items or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment that includes a paymentservice that exposes payment service payment functionality to merchantsfor customizing aspects of transaction flows between merchants andusers.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment that includes a paymentservice that exposes payment service payment functionality to a merchantfor modifying transaction flows, user interfaces, receipts, as well asto communicate with payment service payment applications and POShardware involved in a transaction between the merchant and a user.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment that includes two exampletransaction flows involving a merchant, a user, and a payment service.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example environment that includes modification ofa receipt using payment service payment functionality exposed by thepayment service.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example environment using payment service paymentfunctionality exposed by the payment service for communicating betweenmerchant applications, payment service payment applications, and/orpayment devices and/or hardware associated with a transaction involvinga payment service.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example environment utilizing payment servicepayment functionality exposed by a payment service for controlling abuyer-facing display during a transaction involving a payment service.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for modifying atransaction flow between a merchant and a user using payment servicepayment functionality exposed by a payment service.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for modifying atransaction flow between a merchant and a user using payment servicepayment functionality included within a payment service paymentapplication.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating modification of a receipt provided to a user.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating modification of a receipt provided to a customerusing a merchant application developed with an SDK that includes paymentservice payment functionality provided by the payment service.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating communication between applications and paymenthardware utilizing payment service payment functionality exposed by thepayment service.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating communication between applications and paymenthardware utilizing payment service payment functionality exposed by thepayment service.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating control of a buyer-facing display using applicationprogramming interfaces provided by the payment service.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating control of a buyer-facing display using an SDKprovided by the payment service.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes systems and processes for allowingmodification of steps within a transaction, user interfaces (UIs),receipt configuration, control of buyer-facing displays, as well ascommunication between applications and hardware associated withtransactions between a payment service, a merchant and a user (e.g., acustomer involved in a transaction with the merchant). In some examples,a merchant can access and/or modify payment service paymentfunctionality directly from within an application they have developed.An application developed by an entity that is separate from the paymentservice by/for the merchant may be referred to herein as a “merchantapplication”. An application developed by the payment service andprovided to the merchant may be referred to herein as a “payment servicepayment application”.

According to some configurations, the payment service exposes paymentservice functionality to a merchant application using one or moreapplication programming interfaces (APIs). The APIs can expose paymentservice payment functionality provided by the payment service network,and/or expose payment service payment functionality provided by apayment services payment application executing on a merchant device,such as a POS device located within a store of the merchant.

In some examples, the payment service provides merchants with a softwaredeveloper toolkit (“SDK”) that may utilize functionality exposed by theAPIs. The SDK can include software development tools that allow athird-party developer (i.e., a developer that is separate from thepayment service) to include payment service payment functionalityprovided by the payment service. The SDK and/or the APIs may include oneor more libraries, programming code, executables, other utilities, anddocumentation that allows the developer to directly include paymentservice payment functionality provided by the payment service within anapplication. According to some configurations, the payment servicepayment functionality can be used by a merchant application executing ona POS device at a store of the merchant. The payment service paymentfunctionality provided by a payment service payment application can alsobe accessed by the merchant application executing on a merchant device.In some examples, the payment service payment application and themerchant application execute on the same POS device and communicateusing the payment service payment functionality provided by the paymentservice. In other examples, the payment service payment application andthe merchant application execute on different devices.

As an example, a merchant application may be developed by/for themerchant that changes the default behavior of a transaction between acustomer and the merchant at a POS device within the store of themerchant. For instance, instead of following predefined steps within atransaction as defined by the payment service, the merchant can usepayment service payment functionality exposed by the payment service tocustomize the look and feel (e.g., changing or modifying one or more UIspresented during the transaction) and/or the steps that take placebetween the customer and the merchant within a transaction that occursat a POS device of the merchant.

In some configurations, the merchant can add steps to default steps ofthe transaction defined by the payment service, remove steps from thedefault steps of the transaction defined by the payment service, and/orcustomize steps of the default steps of the transaction defined by thepayment service. For example, the merchant application may utilize thepayment service payment functionality to skip the step of presenting atipping screen and add a step to the transaction that requestsadditional information from the user at a POS device.

In other configurations, the merchant can customize the UIs presentedwithin one or more steps of the transaction using the payment servicepayment functionality exposed by the payment service. For example, themerchant may program the merchant application to cause UIs to bepresented during the transaction that are different from the default UIstypically presented by the payment service payment application.

According to some examples, the customizations can be configured inadvance of a transaction between a merchant and a user. For example,using the payment service payment functionality exposed by the paymentservice, a merchant may make customizations to default steps within atransaction, replace or modify a default UI, change the informationpresented on a receipt, interact with POS devices, as well ascommunicate with payment service payment applications and/or merchantapplications involved in the transaction.

The modifications made by the merchant can be implemented in atransaction flow that does not change for particular transactions, orthe modifications can be dependent on information identified during aparticular transaction. For example, some merchants may decide toreplace a UI with a modified UI for each transaction involving themerchant, whereas another merchant may decide to replace the UI when aspecified condition is met in a transaction (e.g., a transactionoccurring with a particular customer). In yet other examples, a merchantmay develop a merchant application to develop its own look and feel thatis separate from the look and feel of the payment service paymentapplication.

As an example, a merchant may develop a merchant application thatincludes UIs for selecting type, color, size, and the like formerchandise the merchant is selling. Instead of the merchant having todevelop a separate application that includes the custom UI and thenswitching to a payment service payment application that is provided bythe payment service to conduct a purchase of merchandise selected usingthe custom UI, the merchant can utilize functionality exposed by thepayment service to conduct transactions using only the developedapplication. In this way, the customer of the merchant may be presentedwith a more consistent look and feel as compared to switching betweenapplications that may have a different look and feel.

In some configurations, a payment service payment application providedby the payment service and/or a merchant application developed by themerchant (or some developer utilized by the merchant) may provide/obtaindata to/from the payment service using an API or some other web-basedtechnique. For instance, the merchant application may utilize a functionof the API to communicate directly with the payment service. In otherinstances, the merchant application and the payment service may passdata via a uniform resource locator (e.g., a link). For example, themerchant application or the payment service can pass information via thelink as the transaction is occurring, or at some other point in time.

As discussed briefly above, the payment service may provide a merchantwith a software developer toolkit (“SDK”) and/or expose one more APIsthat may be used by the merchant to access payment service paymentfunctionality provided by the payment service. In some examples, theAPIs include a transaction modification API that exposes payment servicepayment functionality that may be used by a merchant application tomodify, add, or delete, one or more UIs provided by the payment serviceand/or modify one or more of the predefined steps within a transactionat a POS device. The merchant application might also utilize a receiptreconfiguration API to access payment service payment functionality tochange the look and feel of a receipt that is provided to a user after apurchase of a good or service. In other examples, a merchant applicationmight utilize a communication API for to access payment service paymentfunctionality for communicating with the payment service, anotherapplication such as a payment service payment application, hardwareprovided by the payment service for processing payments, and the like.In yet another example, the merchant application may utilize abuyer-facing control API for accessing payment service paymentfunctionality for controlling the behavior of a buyer-facing display.More details regarding modifying transaction flows, user interfaces(UIs) receipt configuration, and control of buyer-facing displaysassociated with transactions between a payment service, a merchant and acustomer are provided below.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 that includes a paymentservice that exposes payment service payment functionality to merchantsfor customizing aspects of transaction flows between merchants andusers. Generally, a transaction flow may include any step that occursduring an interaction with a user, a merchant, and/or a payment servicethat involves a transaction of a good or service. More particularly,FIG. 1 provides a framework for the payment service to expose paymentservice payment functionality that may be used by a merchant to modifytransaction flows, user interfaces (UIs), receipt configuration, as wellas to communicate with a payment service payment application and/or POShardware involved in a transaction. In some examples, the electronicdevices of FIG. 1 can include different operation platforms and/orsoftware for conducting transactions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the environment 100 may include one or more user(s)102 (e.g. customers or buyers), one or more user device(s) 104associated with the user(s) 102, one or more merchants 106, one or moremerchant devices 108 associated with the one or more merchants 106, oneor more network(s) 110, and one or more computing device(s) 112associated with a payment service. In various implementations, theuser(s) 102 may operate the user device(s) 104, which may include one ormore processor(s) 114, computer-readable media 116, a display 118 and anetwork interface 120. The computer-readable media 116 may store apayment service interface 122, a POS module 124, and one or moreapplications 164.

Similarly, the merchant(s) 106 may operate the merchant device(s) 108,which may include one or more processor(s) 126, computer-readable media128, a card reader 130, a display(s) 132 and a network interface 134.The computer-readable media 126 may store a payment service interface136, a POS module 138, and one or more applications 166, such as one ormore merchant applications 166A and one or more payment service paymentapplications 166B. The computing device(s) 112 may also include one ormore processor(s) 140, computer-readable media 142 and a networkinterface 144. The computer readable media 142 may store a userinteraction module 146, a merchant interaction module 148, a paymentmodule 150, a user interface module 152, and a database 154.

In some implementations, one of the users 102 may operate a user device104 to perform various functions associated with the user device 104.For example, a user of the user(s) 102 may utilize the user device 104,and particularly the payment service interface 122 thereof, to interactwith the computing device(s) 112 of the payment service via the networkinterface 120 to establish a user account with the payment service ofthe computing device(s) 112. In addition, a user may utilize POS module124 of the user device 104 to interface with the POS module 138 of themerchant device(s) 108, e.g. as part of a transaction using the paymentservice of the computing device(s) 112. For example, the user device 104may communicate via the network interface 120 with the merchantdevice(s) 108 and the network interface 134. As an example of such apayment operation, the POS module 138 of the merchant device 108 maycommunicate with the POS module 124 of the user device 104 to obtaininformation for processing a payment from the user 102 to the merchant106 using the payment service of the computing device(s) 112.

In some implementations, the user device 104 may be any type of devicethat is capable of interacting with the merchant device(s) 108 and/orthe computing device(s) 112. For instance, the user device 104 mayinclude a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular telephone, aPDA, a tablet device, or any other device. The user device 104 shown inFIG. 1 is only one example of a user device 104 and is not intended tosuggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of anyuser device 104 utilized to perform the processes and/or proceduresdescribed herein. For example, the user device 104 may include variousother applications or modules, such as a module for a user dashboard toenable the user to control information in a user's profile, set userpreferences, and so forth.

The processor(s) 114 of the user device 104 may execute one or moremodules and/or processes to cause the user device 104 to perform avariety of functions, as set forth above and explained in further detailin the following disclosure. In some implementations, the processor(s)114 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processingunit (GPU), both CPU and GPU, or other processing units or componentsknown in the art. Additionally, each of the processor(s) 114 may possessits own local memory, which also may store program modules, programdata, and/or one or more operating systems.

Depending on the exact configuration and type of the user device 104,the computer-readable media 116 may include volatile memory (such asRAM), non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, miniature harddrive, memory card, or the like), or some combination thereof.

In various implementations, the user device 104 may also have inputdevice(s) such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a voice input device, atouch input device, etc. The user device 104 may also include thedisplay 118 and other output device(s), such as speakers, a printer,etc. The user 102 may utilize the foregoing features to interact withthe user device 104, merchant device(s) 108 or the computing device(s)112 via the network(s) 110. More particularly, the display 118 of theuser device 104 may include any type of display 118 known in the artthat is configured to present (e.g., display) information to the users102.

In various implementations, the one or more merchants 106 may be anyindividual, entity, or machine that offers products, services or thelike according to the examples herein. Moreover, each of the merchants106 may be associated with one or more merchant devices 108, which maybe the same as, similar to, or different from the user devices 104. Themerchant devices 108 may include any number of components such as theone or more processor(s) 126, the computer-readable media 128, the cardreader 130, the display 132 and/or network interface 134. The merchants106 may utilize the merchant devices 108 to interact with the userdevice(s) 104 and/or computing device(s) 112 in any manner. Forinstance, the merchant devices 108 may utilize a payment serviceinterface 136 to communicate with the computing device(s) 112.Continuing the above example, a merchant device 108 may utilizeinformation obtained from interacting with the POS module 124 of theuser device 104 to execute the payment from the user 102 to the merchant106 through the payment service of the computing device(s) 112. Further,the POS module 138 may control the operation of the card reader 130 toread payment information from credit cards, debit cards, gift cards andthe like. Moreover, the POS module 138 may operate to interact with thecard payment network computing devices(s) 168 and/or bank(s) computingdevice(s) 170 to execute payments from the user 102 to the merchant 106.In some examples, as provided in more detail below, some or all of thefunctionality provided by the POS module 138 may be replaced withpayment service payment functionality exposed by the payment service viaone or more APIs 162, SDKs, and the like.

While the user devices 104 and merchant devices 108 are shown asincluding different modules, this is merely for ease of illustration andnot intended as limiting. In various implementations, the user devices104 and merchant devices 108 may be identical, similar or distinct.Moreover, the modules shown and described for the user devices 104 andmerchant devices 108 may be implemented as more modules or as fewermodules and functions described for the modules may be redistributeddepending on the details of the implementation. Further, in someimplementations, the user devices 104 and/or merchant devices 108 mayvary from device to device. In general, the user devices 104 and themerchant devices 108 can each be any appropriate device operable to sendand receive requests, messages, or other types of information over theone or more networks 110 or directly to each other. Additionally, insome implementation, there may be thousands, hundreds of thousands, ormore, of the user devices 104 and the merchant devices 108.

In some implementations, the network(s) 110 may be any type of networkknown in the art, such as a local area network or a wide area network,such as the Internet, and may include a wireless network, such as acellular network, a local wireless network, such as Wi-Fi and/orclose-range wireless communications, such as Bluetooth® and Bluetooth®low energy, near field communications (NFC), a wired network, or anyother such network, or any combination thereof. Accordingly, the one ormore networks 110 may include both wired and/or wireless communicationtechnologies, including Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® low energy, Wi-Fi andcellular communication technologies, as well as wired or fiber optictechnologies. Components used for such communications can depend atleast in part upon the type of network, the environment selected, orboth. Protocols for communicating over such networks are well known andwill not be discussed herein in detail. Consequently, the user devices104, the merchant devices 108, and the computing device(s) 112 maycommunicatively couple to the network(s) 110 in any manner, such as by awired or wireless connection. The network(s) 110 may also facilitatecommunication between the user devices 104, the merchant devices 108,and the computing device(s) 112. In turn, the network interfaces 120,134 and 144 of the user devices 104, the merchant devices 108, and thecomputing device(s) 112 may be any network interface hardware componentsthat may allow user devices 104, the merchant devices 108, and thecomputing device(s) 112 communicate over the network(s) 110. Forexample, in a particular implementation, the network interfaces 120 and134 of the user devices 104 and merchant devices 108 may include nearfield communication capabilities for performing the communications therebetween involved in POS operations.

In addition, and as mentioned previously, the computing device(s) 112may include the one or more processor(s) 140, the computer-readablemedia 142 and network interface 144. The computing device(s) 112 mayalso include additional components not listed above that may perform anyfunction associated with the computing device(s) 112. In variousimplementations, the computing device(s) 112 may be any type ofcomputing device, such as a network-accessible server, and may be one ofmultiple servers included in a server cluster or server farm. In otherimplementations, the processor(s) 140 and the computer-readable media142 of the computing device(s) 112 may be the same as, similar to, ordifferent from the processor(s) 114 and the computer-readable media 116,respectively, of the user device(s) 104.

The computer-readable media 142 may store the user interaction module146, the merchant interaction module 148, the payment module 150, theuser interface module 152, and the database 154. The database 154 maystore various information including user information 156, merchantinformation 158, configuration information 160, and applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) 162.

The user interaction module 146 and merchant interaction module 148operate to interface with the user devices 104 and merchant devices 108,respectively. For example, the modules 146 and 148 may operate inaccordance with instructions from the payment module 150 to request orprovide information on behalf of the payment module 150. The paymentmodule 150 may handle the processing of payments. For example, thepayment module 150 may utilize the user interaction module 146 and themerchant interaction module 148 to handle communication with the user102 and merchant 106, respectively. In addition, the payment module 150may utilize information from the database 154, such as the userinformation 156 and merchant information 158 to provide handling ofpayments between merchants and users. In some implementations, userinformation 156 may include information regarding electronic paymentaccounts of the customers (e.g. users 102).

As mentioned above, the payment module 150 may handle payments betweenmerchants and users. When paying for a transaction, a user 102 canprovide the amount of payment that is due to a merchant 106 using cash,check, a payment card, NFC, or by electronic payment through a paymentservice of the computing device(s) 112. The merchant 106 can interactwith the merchant device 108 to process the transaction. In someexamples, the service of the computing device 112 may handle somepayments while other payments may at least at times be handled by pointof sale (POS) transactions. In such cases, the point of sale may be theplace where the user 102 with user device 104 interacts with themerchant 106 with merchant device 108 and executes a transaction (e.g.purchases items from a street vendor merchant or a restaurant merchant).During point-of-sale (POS) transactions, the merchant device 108 candetermine and send data describing the transactions, including, forexample, services provided, item(s) being purchased, the amount of theservices or item(s), buyer information, and so forth.

In some implementations, the payment service enables card-less payments,i.e., electronic payments, for transactions between the users 102 andthe merchants 106 based on interaction of the user 102 with the userdevice 104 and interaction of the merchant 106 with the merchant device108. Accordingly, in some examples, a card-less payment transaction mayinclude a transaction conducted between a user 102 and a merchant 106 ata POS location during which an electronic payment account of the user102 is charged without the user 102 having to physically present apayment card to the merchant 106 at the POS location. Consequently, themerchant 106 need not receive any details about the financial account ofthe user 102 for the transaction to be processed. As one example, theelectronic payment may be charged to a credit card issuer or credit cardnumber that the user 102 provided when signing up with the service ofthe computing device(s) 112 for an electronic payment account. Asanother example, the user 102 may have a quantity of money pre-paid inan account maintained for use in making the electronic payments. Othervariations will also be apparent to those of skill in the art having thebenefit of the disclosure herein.

Before conducting an electronic payment transaction, the user 102typically creates a user account with the service of the computingdevice(s) 112. The user 102 can create the user account, for example, byinteracting with an application of the user device 104 that isconfigured to perform electronic payment transactions and that mayexecute on the user device 104 (e.g. the payment service interface 122).When creating an electronic payment account with the service of thecomputing device(s) 112, the user 102 may provide an image including theface of the user, data describing a financial account of the user 102(e.g., a credit card number, expiration date), and a billing address.This user information can be securely stored by the computing device(s)112, for example, in the user information 156 in the database 154.Further, the user information 156 may be created for each user 102,which may include information about the user and transactions conductedby the user.

To accept electronic payments for POS transactions, the merchant 106 maycreate a merchant account with the service of the computing device(s)112 by providing information describing the merchant including, forexample, a merchant name, contact information, e.g., telephone numbers,the merchant's geographic location address, and one or more financialaccounts to which funds collected from users will be deposited. Thismerchant information 158 can be securely stored by the service, forexample, in the database 154 along with the user account information156. Further, a merchant profile may be created for each merchant, whichmay include information about the merchant and transactions conducted bythe merchant.

The service of the computing device(s) 112 may be configured to enableelectronic payments for transactions. The computing device(s) 112 caninclude one or more servers that are configured to perform secureelectronic financial transactions, e.g., electronic payments fortransactions between a user and a merchant, for example, through datacommunicated between the user device 104 and the merchant device 108.Generally, when a user and a merchant enter into an electronic paymenttransaction, the transaction is processed by electronically transferringfunds from a financial account associated with the user account to afinancial account associated with the merchant account. Alternatively,the user may have a balance of funds maintained by the payment serviceas part of the user account which may be used in transactions.

The payment module 150 may be configured to send and receive data to andfrom the user device 104 and the merchant device 108. For example, thepayment module 150 can be configured to send information describingmerchants to an application on the user device 104 using, for example,the information stored in the database 154. In some configurations, asdiscussed in more detail below, the payment module 150 can communicatewith the user device 104 and/or the merchant device 108 usingfunctionality exposed by payment service via the APIs 162. According tosome examples, the payment module 150 can communicate data describingmerchants 106 that are within a threshold geographic distance from ageographic location of the user device 104. The data describing themerchants 106 can include, for example, a merchant name, geographiclocation, contact information, and an electronic catalogue, e.g., a menuthat describes items that are available from the merchant.

In some examples, the payment module 150 is configured to determinewhether a geographic location of the user device 104 is within athreshold geographic distance from a geographic location of the merchantdevice 108. The payment module 150 can determine a geographic locationof the user device 104 using, for example, geolocation data provided bythe user device 104. Similarly, the payment module 150 can determine ageographic location of the merchant device 108 using, for example,geolocation data provided by the merchant device 108 or using ageographic address, e.g., street address, provided by the merchant.Depending on the implementation, the threshold geographic distance canbe specified by the payment module 150, by the user, or by the merchant.

Determining whether the user device 104 is within a threshold geographicdistance of the merchant device 108 can be accomplished in differentways including, for example, determining whether the user device 104 iswithin a threshold geographic radius of the merchant device 108,determining whether the user device 104 is within a particulargeo-fence, or determining whether the user device 104 can communicatewith the merchant device 108 using a specified wireless technology,e.g., Bluetooth® or Bluetooth® low energy (BLE). In some examples, thepayment module 150 restricts electronic payment transactions between theuser 102 and the merchant 106 to situations where the geographiclocation of the user device 104 is within a threshold geographicdistance from a geographic location of the merchant device 108.

The computing device(s) 112 can also be configured to communicate withone or more card payment network computing devices(s) 168 of a cardpayment network (e.g., MasterCard®, VISA®) over the one or more networks110 to conduct financial transactions electronically. The computingdevice(s) 112 can also communicate with one or more bank computingdevices 170 of one or more banks over the one or more networks 110. Forexample, the computing device(s) 112 may communicate with an acquiringbank, and/or an issuing bank, and/or a bank maintaining user accountsfor electronic payments.

An acquiring bank may be a registered member of a card association(e.g., Visa®, MasterCard®), and may be part of a card payment network.An issuing bank may issue payment cards to users, and may pay acquiringbanks for purchases made by cardholders to which the issuing bank hasissued a payment card. Accordingly, in some examples, the computingdevice(s) of an acquiring bank may be included in the card paymentnetwork and may communicate with the computing devices of a card-issuingbank to obtain payment. Further, in some examples, the user may use adebit card or gift card instead of a credit card, in which case, thebank computing device(s) of a bank or other institution corresponding tothe debit card or gift card may receive communications regarding atransaction in which the user is participating. Additionally, there maybe computing devices of other financial institutions involved in sometypes of transactions or in alternative system architectures, and thus,the foregoing are merely several examples for discussion purposes. Inaddition, the merchant device(s) 108 may perform interactions similar tothose described above with regard to the card payment network computingdevices(s) 168 of a card payment network and the bank computing devices170 when processing transactions for payment instruments that do notinvolve the payment service of the computing device(s) 112.

The user 102 operating the user device 104 that is within a thresholdgeographic distance of the merchant device 108 can interact with anapplication executed on the user device 104 to conduct an electronicpayment transaction with the merchant 106. While interacting with theapplication, the user 102 can select the merchant 106, from a listing ofmerchants 106, with whom the user wants to enter into an electronicpayment transaction. The user 102 can select the merchant 106, forexample, by selecting a “check in” option associated with the merchant106. The user device 104 can communicate data to the computing device(s)112 indicating that the user 102 has checked in with the merchant 106.In response, the computing device(s) 112 can communicate data to notifythe merchant device 108 that the user has checked in. An application 166executing on the merchant device 108, such as the merchant application166A or the payment service payment application 166B can notify themerchant 106 that the user has electronically checked in with themerchant 106 through a display of the merchant device 108.

Once checked in, the user 102 can receive, obtain or request items,services or appointments that are available to be acquired from themerchant 106. When the user 102 is ready to enter into the card-lesspayment transaction, the user 102 can, for example, approach a point ofsale for the merchant 106 and identify him or herself. For example, theuser 102 can verbally notify the merchant 106 that the user 102 wants toenter into a card-less payment transaction and can provide the merchant106 with the user's name. The merchant 106 can then interact with one ormore of the applications 166 executing on the merchant's device toselect the user 102, from a listing of users that have checked in withthe merchant 106, to initiate an electronic payment transaction for theitem(s) being acquired by the user 102. For example, the merchant 106can determine a total amount to charge the user for the item(s) beingacquired. The user can verbally approve the total amount to be paid and,in response, the merchant 106 can submit a request for an electronicpayment transaction for the total amount of the transaction to thecomputing device(s) 112. In response, the computing device(s) 112 canobtain, for example, from the user account information 156, datadescribing a financial account associated with the electronic purchaseaccount of the user 102 to which the total amount will be charged.

The computing device(s) 112 can then communicate with the card paymentnetwork computing devices(s) 168 of a card payment network to completean electronic payment transaction for the total amount to be charged touser's electronic payment account. Once the electronic paymenttransaction is complete, the computing device(s) 112 can communicatedata describing the electronic payment for the transaction to the userdevice 104, e.g., as an electronic receipt, which can, for example,notify the user 102 of the total amount charged to the user for theelectronic payment for the transaction with the particular merchant.Further, while a mobile user device 104 is described in this example forpurposes of explanation, additional or alternative types of devices maybe used in other examples.

In some examples, the APIs 162 can be utilized by one or moreapplications 164 and/or 166 to modify transaction flows, user interfaces(UIs), receipt configuration, as well as used to interact with andcommunicate with hardware (e.g., card reader 130) and otherapplications, or modules associated with transactions between a merchantand a user. The applications that utilize the APIs 162, or other paymentservice payment functionality exposed by the payment service, may beapplications provided by the payment service (i.e., payment servicepayment application 166B) as well as authorized third-party applicationsdeveloped by or for a merchant 106, such as merchant application(s)166A. For instance, a merchant may utilize the exposed payment servicepayment functionality to modify a predefined transaction flow providedby the payment service to include a different number of steps and/ormodified steps within a transaction flow. In some cases, the merchant106 may change the look and feel of a UI provided by the user interfacemodule 152 to match the look and feel of the UIs provided by one or moreof the merchant applications 166A. In other cases, the merchant mayutilize one or more of the APIs 162 to change the look and feel of areceipt provided by the payment service.

In some configurations, the customizations configured by the merchant106 can be configured in advance of a transaction between the merchantand a user and stored by database 154 within the configurationinformation 160 provided by the computing devices 112 of the paymentservice. For example, a merchant 106 may make customizations to atransaction flow, via an API 162, to replace or modify a default UI, aswell as change the configuration of the receipt, and store thisinformation within the database 154. When a transaction involves themerchant, the transaction flow module 146, the merchant interactionmodule 148, or some other module or component, can utilize theconfiguration information 160 to change the predefined transaction flowsassociated with a transaction and/or other aspects of the transactionbetween a user 102 and a merchant 106. As discussed in more detailbelow, the merchant application 166A may utilize the payment servicepayment functionality exposed by the payment service to change thebehavior of the payment service payment application 166B and/or thebehavior of the payment module 150 and/or the user interface module 152.

As discussed above, the payment service associated with computingdevices 112 may provide a merchant 106 with a software developer toolkit(“SDK”) and one or more APIs 162 to access the payment service paymentfunctionality exposed by payment service for modifying one or more stepswithin a transaction. As discussed in more detail below, the SDK and/orAPIs can include, but are not limited to, a transaction flowmodification API, a receipt reconfiguration API, a communication API,and a buyer-facing display control API. These APIs can be used by amerchant application 166A, the payment service payment application 166B,or some other application, to modify, add, or delete, one or more UIs tothe default set of UIs provided by the payment service. More detail isprovided below.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment 200 that includes a paymentservice that exposes payment service payment functionality to a merchantfor modifying transaction flows, user interfaces, receipts, as well asto communicate with payment service payment applications and POShardware involved in a transaction between the merchant and a user. Thecomputing devices 112 may interact with various devices over one or morenetworks 110 to receive and/or provide various information/data.

For instance, the computing devices 112 may communicate with one or moremerchant devices 108, such as point-of-sale device (POS) devicesassociated with one or more merchants 108. An employee 202 may operate amerchant device 108 to engage in a transaction with a user 102. The user102 may tender a payment instrument to satisfy the cost of one or moreitems in a sales transaction.

In some examples, the user 102 may have a user device 104 that mayexecute one or more applications 166 that are provided by the merchant106, the payment service, and/or some other entity. For instance, theuser 102 may carry user device 104, such as smart phones, tabletcomputers, wearable computing devices, or the like, as furtherenumerated elsewhere herein, and some of these user devices 104 may haveinstalled thereon the application(s) 166. The application(s) 166 mayinclude electronic payment capability, which enables the user 102 tomake a payment to the merchant 106 using the application(s) 166, ratherthan paying with a physical payment card, cash, check, or other paymentinstrument. The application(s) 166 may further enable the user 102 tocheck in with the particular merchant 106, e.g., at the merchant's storeor prior to entering the merchant's store, such as to place an order foran item. For instance, the user 102 may be able to place an order for anitem through application 166, may skip waiting in a line for orderingitems, may pay for the transaction using the application 166, and mayproceed directly to an area of the merchant's store to pick up theordered item.

The merchant application 166A may send transaction data and/or otherinformation to the computing devices 112, e.g., as a sales transactionis being conducted at a brick and mortar location of the merchant 106.Of course, in other examples, such as if a particular merchant device108 is processing transactions offline, the transaction information maybe sent in a batch at a subsequent point in time. In someconfigurations, the merchant application 166A can use functionalityexposed by the one or more APIs 162 provided by the payment service todirectly interact with the payment service payment application 166B orhardware (e.g., card reader 130 as illustrated in FIG. 1) associatedwith the payment service. According to some examples, the paymentservice payment functionality exposed by payment service via the APIs162, an SDK, or some other code or executable, can replace paymentservice payment functionality included within the payment servicepayment application 166B. For example, the merchant application 166Adeveloped by or for the merchant and executed by a merchant device 108(or some other device) may utilize the APIs 162 to interact with thepayment service. In other examples, the merchant application 166Adeveloped by or for the merchant and executed by a merchant device 108(or some other device) may utilize the APIs 162 to interact with thepayment service payment application 166B.

In some configurations, the merchant 106 and/or the payment service mayutilize transaction data in one or more steps of a transaction flow, orat some other point. Transaction data may include information regardingthe time, place, and the amount of each respective transaction,information related to the items acquired, a type of payment instrumentbeing used (e.g., cash, check, payment card, electronic payment), aswell as additional information, such as customer information associatedwith the user 102. For instance if a payment card is used, thetransaction data can include data stored in the payment card, e.g.,Track 1 data (cardholder name, card number and other card information).In addition, when completing the transaction a user 102 may sometimesprovide a receipt email address for receiving a receipt through email.Other examples of transaction information that can be captured includedetailed item information, e.g., an itemized listing of the items beingacquired, the price being paid for each item, descriptors of the items(size, flavor, color, etc.), geolocation data indicating a geographiclocation of a particular transaction, online/offline card data, datadescribing the merchant 106, e.g., a merchant identifier, a merchantcategory code (MCC), any type of data that is received upon a buyer'sauthentication into a social network, if any, and various other types ofinformation. As described in FIG. 1, the payment service computingdevices 112 may include a payment module 150. Among other things, thepayment module 150 may provide the functionality for processing payments(e.g., authorizing payment instruments) for multiple merchants.

The payment service computing devices 112 may include a transaction flowmodification module 210 for changing a transaction flow that isassociated with a transaction between the user 102 and the merchant 106.For example, the transaction flow modification module 210 may providethe functionality for changing a UI presented on the merchant device108, changing a UI presented on the user device 104, changing one ormore steps of a default transaction, and the like. According to someconfigurations, the merchant application 166A uses the payment servicepayment functionality provided by the payment service paymentapplication 166B to change one or more steps within a transaction. Asdescribed in more detail below, the merchant 106 may provide informationto the payment service (e.g., via the transaction flow modification API218) or to the payment service payment application 166B to change a stepwithin a transaction.

The payment service computing devices 112 may include a receiptconfiguration module 212. Among other things, the receipt configurationmodule 212 may provide the functionality for configuring the informationthat is provided on a receipt to the user 102. As described in moredetail below, the merchant may provide information to the paymentservice (e.g., via the receipt reconfiguration API 220) to reconfigure adefault receipt. In other examples, the merchant application 166A mayutilize the payment service payment functionality exposed by the paymentservice to directly communicate with the payment service paymentapplication 166B to reconfigure a default receipt.

The payment service computing devices 112 may also include acommunication module 214. For example, the communication module 214 mayprovide the functionality for exchanging communications betweenapplications 166, such as merchant application(s) 166A, payment servicepayment application(s) 166B, hardware associated with the paymentservice, as well as modules of the payment service. As described in moredetail below, one or more merchant applications 166A, and/or paymentservice payment applications 166B or modules provided by the paymentservice may utilize functionality provided by the communication API 222,and/or SDK to exchange communications involving the payment service.

The payment service computing devices 112 may also include abuyer-facing display control module 216 for controlling the behavior ofa buyer-facing display utilized during a transaction. As used herein, a“buyer-facing display” may refer to a display that is visible to theuser during at least part of a transaction. For example, a buyer-facingdisplay may be used by a user during a transaction to enter informationrelated to the transaction. The buyer-facing display control module 216may provide the functionality for controlling a buyer-facing displayprovided by the merchant device 108 and/or user device 104. As describedin more detail below, the merchant may provide information to a moduleor application associated with the payment service (e.g., via thebuyer-facing display control API 220) to control a buyer-facing display.In other configurations, the merchant application 166A may communicatewith the payment service payment application to control a buyer-facingdisplay.

The payment service computing devices 112 may include user information156 (e.g., one or more customer profiles 228) and/or merchantinformation 150 (e.g., one or more merchant profiles 230). In someconfigurations, the payment service computing devices 112 also includeAPIs 162. The APIs 162 may include a transaction flow modification API218, a receipt reconfiguration API 220, a communication API 222, abuyer-facing display control API 224, and other API(s) 226.

In some configurations, a merchant may modify the UIs associated with atransaction flow. For instance, a merchant can use the transaction flowmodification API 218 to customize a default checkout flow. Using one ormore functions provided by the transaction flow modification API 218,the merchant 106 could change a tipping UI, a signature screen UI, orsome other UI presented within the default checkout flow. In otherexamples, the merchant 106 can add a UI to the default checkout flow,skip a default UI, and the like. In some instances, the merchantapplication 208 includes calls to functionality exposed by thetransaction flow modification API 218, and possibly one or more otherAPIs 162, to change the default behavior provided by the paymentservice.

According to some configurations, the modifications to the default UIsare dynamically injected into a default transaction flow based oninformation detected during a particular transaction. For instance,certain parameters can trigger a modification to one or more UIspresented to the employee 202 and/or the user 102. The modifications canbe coded by the merchant 108, some third party associated with themerchant, or one or more of the modifications can be supplied by thepayment service associated with the computing devices 112. In someconfigurations, the merchant application 166A includes one or more callsto functionality exposed by the transaction flow modification API 218.For instance, the merchant application 208 may include a function callthat sets one or more triggering parameters upon which a modified UI isto be displayed. In other configurations, the merchant application 166Aincludes one or more calls to payment service payment functionalityprovided by the payment service payment application 166B to change theUIs that are presented and/or the steps that are performed during atransaction.

Triggering parameters can include, but are not limited to merchantinformation, employee information, customer information, transactioninformation, and the like. For instance, a transaction with a particularuser (or a particular group of users) can trigger adding a particularmessage to the user 102 that is presented in one of the UIs utilizedduring the transaction. When a specified triggering parameter isdetected by the UI modification module 210, or some other component ormodule such as included within payment service payment application 166B,the payment computing devices and/or the payment service paymentapplication 166B may provide the modified UI when performing thetransaction. More details are provided below with regard to FIG. 3.

In some configurations, the merchant can specify the reconfiguration ofreceipts presented to one or more of the users 102. For instance, amerchant 106 can use functionality exposed by the receiptreconfiguration API 220 to customize a receipt provided to a user 102.Using one or more functions provided by the payment service paymentfunctionality exposed by the payment service (e.g., the receiptreconfiguration API 220), the merchant 106 can change what informationis displayed on a receipt, how the information is displayed on thereceipt, what information is stored within the database 154 related to atransaction between a user 102 and a merchant 108. In other examples,the merchant 106 can use the payment service payment functionalityexposed by the payment service (e.g., the receipt reconfiguration API220) to change a delivery method of the receipt. For example, themerchant application 166A may include a function call to the paymentservice and/or the payment service payment application 166B specifyinghow to deliver the receipt (e.g., email, SMS, a physical receipt) andpossibly one or more triggering parameters that may be used by thereceipt configuration module 212 when determining what receipt togenerate and how to deliver the receipt to the user 102.

The merchant 108, using the payment service payment functionalityexposed by the payment service via the receipt reconfiguration API 220or SDK, can also specify to use a default receipt and/or a receipt thatis customized for a particular user or group of users. For example, amerchant 106 may specify the content to include on the receipt such as,but not limited to a logo of the merchant, a survey relating to the itempurchased, information about the sales person and/or merchant,information about the item(s) purchased, and the like. In some examples,the content of the receipt can be based on a merchant profile 230 and/ora customer profile 228. For instance, the receipt for one buyer can bedifferent than a receipt for another buyer. The merchant 106 can alsospecify how to deliver the receipt to the buyer. For example, in someconfigurations, the receipt can be printed out and handed to the buyer.In other configurations, the receipt can be electronically delivered(e.g., email, SMS, or some other method). In yet other configurations,the receipt can be delivered physically as well as electronically.

Modifications (or reconfigurations) to default receipt configuration canbe made based on information obtained during a transaction. Forinstance, certain parameters can trigger an injection of a modificationto a receipt. During a transaction, the merchant device 108 may sendtransaction information (associated with the transaction) using one ormore of the APIs 162 to the payment service via the computing device(s)112 and/or the payment service payment application 166B. The receiptconfiguration module 212 may determine that the transaction informationsatisfies at least one condition (a trigger) associated with receiptreconfiguration as specified by the merchant 106 and/or some otherauthorized user (e.g., an authorized employee of the payment service).The receipt configuration module 212 may determine to reconfigure thedefault receipt configuration based on the transaction information,merchant information, buyer information, receipt configurationinformation received from the merchant device, and/or receiptconfiguration information received from a third party server. Thereceipt configuration module 212 may generate a digital receipt based onthe new receipt configuration, and the receipt configuration module 212may send the digital receipt to the merchant device 108, or some otherlocation.

In some configurations, the merchant via the merchant application 166Acan use the payment service payment functionality exposed by the paymentservice (e.g., via communication API 222) to communicate with one ormore of the modules of computing devices 112 associated with the paymentservice, hardware supplied by the payment service, and/or otherapplications, such as payment service payment application 166B, that canbe used during a transaction. For instance, a merchant application 166Acan use functionality exposed by the communication API 222 to send amessage to “warm up” payment hardware. In another example, the paymentservice payment application 166B may communicate with the card reader130, the display 132, a printer (not shown) or some other device todetermine the status of the hardware (e.g., standby, ready, off). In yetother examples, the merchant application 166A, or some other component,can use the communication API 222 to request pre-authorization of apayment, activate a network connection to the payment service, perform alook up of customer information from the customer profiles 228, and thelike.

In some configurations, the merchant application 166A on the same POSdevice as the payment service payment application 166B communicates witha payment service payment application using a communication API 222provided by a payment service. According to some examples, the paymentservice payment application 166B runs as a background process and thethird party merchant application 166A runs as a foreground process.During a transaction process, the merchant application 166A maycommunicate with the payment service payment application 166B that apayment transaction between a buyer and the merchant is about to occur.In response to receiving this information, the payment service paymentapplication 166B can perform various actions. For example, the paymentservice payment application 166B can instruct payment object readerhardware to initiate a transition from being in an idle state to beingin an active state. The payment service payment application 166B mightalso pre-authorize a payment instrument associated with the buyer. Thepayment service payment application might also perform a card-lesspayment authorization associated with the buyer. More details areprovided below with regard to FIG. 5.

In some configurations, the merchant can control a buyer-facing displayusing the payment service payment functionality exposed by the paymentservice (e.g., via buyer-facing display control API 224). For instance,a merchant can use functionality exposed by the buyer-facing displaycontrol API 224 within the merchant application 166A to control adisplay associated with a POS device utilized by the merchant 108 and/ora display associated with a user device 104.

In some examples, a third party application, such as merchantapplication 166A may utilize functionality provided by the buyer-facingdisplay control API 224 to control an application or module provided bythe payment service. In other configurations, a third party application,such as merchant application 166A may utilize a web API to communicatewith and control a payment service payment application 166B or moduleprovided by the payment service. In this example, the merchantapplication 208 may utilize the web API to communicate with one or moreof the computing devices 112 that, in turn, communicate back to themerchant application 166A. More details are provided below with regardto FIG. 6.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment 300 that includes two exampletransaction flows involving a merchant, a user, and a payment service.As illustrated, a first transaction flow 302 shows steps A-N of atransaction without modification. Stated another way, the firsttransaction flow 302 is the default transaction flow between a customerand a merchant as defined by the payment service. For example, the firsttransaction flow includes steps that are predefined by the paymentservice to be carried out during a transaction between the merchant anda user. The second transaction flow 304 shows steps A-M of a transactionwith steps B modified from the default step B and step M added.

As discussed above, the computing devices 112 associated with a paymentservice can communicate with merchant devices, such as a first merchantdevice 306 and a second merchant device 308 to perform operationsrelating to a transaction between a user 102 and a merchant 108. In someconfigurations, the merchant application 166A and/or the payment servicepayment application 166A can perform operations relating to thetransaction between the user 102 and the merchant 108. In some examples,the merchant 108 may utilize the default steps (e.g., steps A-N)illustrated in the first transaction flow 302. For instance, the firstmerchant device 306 utilizes functionality provided by the paymentservice payment application 166B and/or payment service paymentfunctionality provided by one or more of the computing devices 112 andperforms steps A-N as provided by the payment service paymentapplication 166B and/or the payment module 150. As there are nomodifications to the default flow, the transaction flow modificationmodule 210 and the transaction flow modification API 218 may not beutilized during the first transaction flow 302.

In the second transaction flow 304, the merchant application 166A hasbeen modified to include transaction flow modification code 312 thatuses functionality exposed by the transaction flow modification API 218to modify the default transaction flow. For instance, step B of thedefault flow has been modified to be step B′ in the second transactionflow. As discussed above, a step may be modified, added, or deletedusing the transaction flow modification API 218. For example, thetransaction flow modification code 312 may call a function specified bythe transaction flow modification API 218 to change the layout of a UIpresented at step B, change the UI components displayed on the UI, add alogo, or perform some other modification to the UI. In someconfigurations, the transaction flow modification can occur withoutinvolving the payment service computing devices 112. For example, themerchant application 166A may directly interact with the payment servicepayment application 166B to change one or more steps of the transaction.In some examples, the changing the transaction flow may includecommunications between the merchant application 166A, the paymentservice payment application 166B, and the computing devices 112.

Also illustrated in the second transaction flow 304 is adding a step tothe default transaction flow. In the current example, the transactionflow modification code 312 adds step M to the default flow. Step M maybe adding an additional UI to the default flow or performing some otheroperation involving the payment service (e.g., saving additionalinformation relating to a transaction). In the second example, thesecond merchant device 308 provides modification information 316 to thepayment service payment application 166B and/or the payment service viaone or more of the computing devices 112. According to someconfigurations, the merchant application 166A using the transaction flowmodification code 313 makes function calls to the payment service and/orthe payment service payment application 166B using the transaction flowmodification API 218. During a transaction flow, the transaction flowmodification module 210 provides modified step B′ and additional step Mto the second computing device for display to the user 102. In someexamples, the modification information 316 may include informationrelated to the user, such as buyer information 318, information relatedto the merchant (merchant information 320) and other transactioninformation 312.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example environment 400 that includes modificationof a receipt using payment service payment functionality exposed by thepayment service. As illustrated, a first transaction 402 including afirst receipt 404 and a second transaction 406 including a secondreceipt 408 is shown.

As discussed above, a merchant 106 may reconfigure a default receiptusing payment service payment functionality exposed by the paymentservice via the receipt reconfiguration API 220, an SDK, or some othermechanism. In some configurations, the computing devices 112 associatedwith a payment service communicate with merchant devices, such asmerchant device 108, to perform operations relating to reconfiguring adefault receipt before providing a receipt to a user 102. In otherexamples, the merchant application 166A communicates with the paymentservice payment application 166B to reconfigure a default receipt. Insome configurations, the merchant 106 may utilize a default receipt. Forinstance, the first receipt 406 that includes the content A and B may bea default receipt that is provided to a user after a purchase is made.As there are not modifications to the default receipt, the merchantdevice 108 may not utilize the receipt reconfiguration API 220 and/orfunctionality provided by the payment service payment application 166Bto reconfigure the receipt during the first transaction. In otherexamples, the merchant 106 may modify the default receipt by using thepayment service payment functionality exposed by the payment service.

The second transaction 404 shows generation of a second receipt 408 thatis modified from the default receipt, such as the first receipt 406. Insome examples, the merchant application 166A using the receiptmodification code 410 makes function calls to the payment service usingthe receipt reconfiguration API 220 and/or communicates with the paymentservice payment application 166B to reconfigure the receipt. During thetransaction flow, or at some other time, the merchant application 166Auses the payment service payment functionality exposed by the paymentservice (e.g., via the receipt reconfiguration API 220 and/or thepayment service payment application 166B) to identify the changes to thedefault receipt. In the example illustrated by the second transaction404, the merchant 106 has modified the default receipt to move thecontent A on the first receipt 406 from the upper left side of thereceipt to the upper right side of the receipt. The merchant has alsospecified, via the receipt reconfiguration API 220 or communication withthe payment service payment application 166B, to add additional contentC to the second receipt 408. In some configurations, a merchant mayidentify changes to a default receipt before a transaction occurs. Inthis example, the computing devices 112 and/or the merchant device 108can store the receipt reconfiguration information. For instance, thereceipt configuration information can be stored in the merchantinformation 158 of the database 154. According to some configurations, amerchant application 166A can communicate directly with one or more ofthe computing devices 112, the payment service payment application 166B,and/or may communicate indirectly (e.g., through one or more third partyserver computing devices 412).

In some examples, the merchant 106 may pass information relating to apayment transaction and receipt configuration using the payment servicepayment functionality exposed by the payment service. For instance, themerchant application 166A may transfer data (e.g., cart data, receiptdata, merchant logo, etc.) relating to the transaction to the paymentservice payment application 166B and/or the payment service. In someconfigurations, the merchant application 166A may pass a uniformresource locator to a third party server(s) 412 and/or the computingdevice(s) 112 that may be accessed by the receipt configuration module212 when generating the receipt for the transaction.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example environment 500 using payment servicepayment functionality exposed by the payment service for communicatingbetween merchant applications, payment service payment applications,and/or payment devices and/or hardware associated with a transactioninvolving a payment service. In the current example, a transaction 502is occurring between a merchant 106 and a user 102.

As discussed above, the payment service exposes payment service paymentfunctionality that allows communication between merchant applications,payment service payment applications, and computing devices 112. In someconfigurations, one or more applications, such as foregroundapplication(s) 504 and background application(s) 506 can be programmedto include communication code 508 that utilize the payment servicepayment functionality provided by the communication API 222 tocommunicate with one or more of the modules of computing devices 112associated with the payment service and/or payment device(s) 512supplied by the payment service. In other examples, the foregroundapplication(s) 504 and background application(s) 506 can be programmedto include communication code 508 that utilize the payment servicepayment functionality for communicating with each other and forcontrolling operation of the payment device(s) 512. For instance, amerchant 108 can use the payment service payment functionality exposedby the payment service (e.g., using communication API 222) to send achange state 510 message to “warm up” payment hardware, such as paymentdevice(s) 512. In other examples, the foreground application 506 and thebackground application 508 may utilize the payment service paymentfunctionality to directly communicate information, such as command 512B.

According to some configurations, the payment service via one or more ofthe computing devices 112 can send the change state 510 message to thepayment device(s) 512 to change state (e.g., from idle to active, off toon, on to off). In other examples, an application, such as a backgroundapplication 506 can send the change state 510 message directly to thepayment device(s) 512 to change state. In yet other examples, one ormore of the foreground application(s) 504 can send the change state 510message directly to the payment device(s) to change state. The paymentdevice(s) 512 may be any type of device associated with and/or providedby or sold by the payment service. For example, the payment device(s)512 may include, but are not limited to a card reader 130, a display, aprinter (not shown) or some other device that is utilized during atransaction between a user and a merchant.

In yet other examples, a background application 506 that is running as abackground process, a foreground application 504 that is running as aforeground process, or some other component, can utilize the paymentservice payment functionality to request from the payment servicepre-authorization of a payment, activate a network connection to thepayment service, perform a look up of customer information from thecustomer profiles 228, and the like. For instance, command 512 may besent from merchant device(s) 108 to computing device(s) 112 to requestre-authorization of a payment, activate a network connection to thepayment service, perform a look up of customer information from thecustomer profiles 228, and the like.

In some configurations, a payment service payment application 166B(provided by the payment service) runs as a background application 506and a third party merchant application 166A developed by the merchantruns as a foreground application 504. During the transaction 502, theforeground application 504 may send transaction information 514 to thebackground application 506 indicating that a payment transaction betweena buyer and the merchant is about to occur. In response to receivingthis information, the background application 506 that can be the paymentservice payment application 166B can perform various actions. Forexample, the background application 506 can instruct a payment device512 (e.g., a card reader), to initiate a transition from being in anidle state to being in an active state. The background application 506might also pre-authorize a payment instrument associated with the user102. The background application 506 might also perform a card-lesspayment authorization associated with the buyer.

In other examples, the background application 506 (e.g., a paymentservice payment application 166B provided by the payment service) mayreceive transaction information 514 at different points in time of thetransaction 502 and determine that a transaction is likely imminent. Inresponse, the background application 506 may perform one or more actionsusing functionality exposed by the communication API 222 that speeds upthe transaction process, such as, but not limited to cause a paymentdevice 512, such as card reader to be warmed up; request that thepayment service pre-authorize a card of the user; generate at least aportion of a receipt related to the transaction 502, and/or request thatthe payment service perform a card-less payment authorization associatedwith the buyer. In some configurations, the authorization module 514 mayperform authentication operations relating to the identity of anapplication that is communicating with the computing devices 112. Forinstance, the authorization module 514 may verify that the merchantdevice 108 is a trusted device.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example environment 600 utilizing payment servicepayment functionality exposed by a payment service for controlling abuyer-facing display during a transaction involving a payment service.According to some examples, a buyer-facing display can be associatedwith a merchant device 108 or a user device 104. A “buyer-facingdisplay” can refer to a display that is used by the user 104 to view andenter information that is associated with a transaction between the user102 and the merchant 106.

As discussed above, the payment service exposes payment service paymentfunctionality that can be used by the merchant to control a buyer-facingdisplay 602A and/or buyer-facing display 602B via buyer-facing displaycontrol code 606 that is associated with a merchant application 166A. Insome configurations, computing devices 112 associated with the paymentservice communicate with merchant devices, such as merchant device 108Aand merchant device 108B to perform operations relating to controllingwhat is displayed on one or more displays during a transaction betweenthe user 102 and a merchant.

In some configurations, one or more applications, such as merchantapplication(s) 166A on user device 104 and merchant application(s) 166Aon merchant device 108B can be programmed to include buyer-facingdisplay control code 606 that utilize the payment service paymentfunctionality provided by payment service to control behavior of abuyer-facing display. According to some configurations, the merchantapplications 166A may utilize payment service payment functionalityexposed by the buyer-facing display control API 224 to communicate withthe buyer-facing display control module 216 of computing devices 112. Inother examples, the merchant applications 166A may utilize paymentservice payment functionality to communicate with the payment servicepayment application 166B to control a buyer-facing display.

For instance, a merchant application 166A, executing on merchant device108B and/or user device(s) 104 can use functionality provided by thebuyer-facing display control API 224, and/or an SDK for changing anappearance of a user interface that is associated with the transactionbetween the user 102 and the merchant 106. For example, the buyer-facingdisplay control module 216 may provide the functionality for controllinga buyer-facing display 602. In other examples, the merchant applications166A may directly communicate with the payment service paymentapplication 166B to control a buyer-facing display.

According to some configurations, the merchant application includesbuyer-facing display control code 606 that may be used to communicatewith a payment service application 166B and/or one or more of thecomputing devices 112. In some examples, the payment service paymentapplication 166B (provided by the payment service) runs as a foregroundprocess and the merchant application 166A runs in the background. Forinstance, when the merchant application 166A operates in the background,the payment service payment application 166B may operate in theforeground and receive data, such as instructions to control thebuyer-facing display 602, from the merchant application 166A via thebuyer-facing display control API 224 and/or from communications from themerchant application 166A.

In other examples, the communication can occur across devices. Forexample, the merchant application 166A on the user device 104 mayreceive instructions from the merchant application 166A executing on themerchant device 108B for controlling behavior of the buyer-facingdisplay 602B on the user device 104. In some examples, a web API may beutilized by a merchant application 166A to interact with the devices 104and/or 108. For example, on devices that do not support backgroundapplications, the web API can be utilized by the merchant application166A to communicate with the computing devices 112, and the computingdevices 112 may communicate with the foreground payment services paymentapplication 166B.

According to some configurations, the application 166A executing on theuser device 104 and/or the merchant application 166A executing on themerchant device 108B detects input to a buyer-facing display, such asbuyer-facing display 602A or buyer-facing display 602B. When the inputis detected, the merchant application 166A can send to the computingdevice(s) 112 data indicating the input. In other examples, the merchantapplication 166A executing on the user device 104 and/or the merchantapplication 166A may send data indicating the input to the paymentservice payment application 166B. In response to receiving the input,the buyer-facing display control module 216 and/or the buyer-facingdisplay control code 610 of the payment service payment application 166Bprovides instructions to the merchant application 166 for controllingthe buyer-facing display 602. In some examples, after receiving theinstructions, the merchant application 166 provides the instructions tothe payment service payment application 166B that then uses theinstructions to control the buyer-facing display.

FIGS. 7-14 are flow diagrams illustrating example processes forcustomizing transactions between a payment service, a merchant and auser using payment service payment functionality exposed by a paymentservice. The processes 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1400and other processes described herein are illustrated as collections ofblocks in logical flow diagrams, which represent a sequence ofoperations, some or all of which can be implemented in hardware,software or a combination thereof. In the context of software, theblocks may represent computer-executable instructions stored on one ormore computer-readable media that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, program the processors to perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular data types. The order inwhich the blocks are described should not be construed as a limitation.Any number of the described blocks can be combined in any order and/orin parallel to implement the process, or alternative processes, and notall of the blocks need be executed. For discussion purposes, theprocesses are described with reference to the environments,architectures and systems described in the examples herein, although theprocesses may be implemented in a wide variety of other environments,architectures and systems. The processes described herein, may beperformed by a remote payment service (e.g., computing device(s) 112), aPOS device (e.g., merchant device(s) 108), a user device (e.g., userdevice(s) 104), by another entity, or by a combination thereof.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for modifying atransaction flow between a merchant and a user using payment servicepayment functionality exposed by a payment service.

At 702, the computing device(s) 112 associated with the payment serviceexpose, to a merchant device of a merchant, payment service paymentfunctionality. As discussed above, in some examples, the payment serviceexposes one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) thatprovide functionality for modifying a transaction flow. For instance, amerchant may use one or more of the APIs to modify a UI presented duringa transaction between the merchant and a customer. In some examples, thepayment service may provide a web API for use by a merchant 106.

At 704, the computing device(s) 112 receive, from the merchant devicevia the API, data associated with a modification to the transactionflow. As discussed above, the modification may specify what UIs of thetransaction to modify, what steps of a transaction to modify, as well asother information. For instance, the modification may specify a set ofparameters that are used to determine when to trigger the modificationto the transaction flow.

At 706, the computing device(s) 112 receive, from a merchant application166A and/or a payment service payment application 166B executing on amerchant device a request to perform a payment transaction. As discussedabove, the merchant application 166A and the payment service paymentapplication may be utilized by the merchant 106 during a transactionbetween the merchant and a user.

At 708, the computing device(s) 112 determine whether or not to modifythe transaction flow between the merchant and the user. As discussedabove, the transaction flow modification module 210 of the computingdevice(s) 112 may utilize the set of parameters specified by themerchant 106 to determine whether or not to modify at least a portion ofthe transaction flow. For example, the set of parameters may indicate tomodify a group of UIs for one group of customers and not modify thegroup of UIs for another group of customers.

At 710, the computing device(s) 112 generate the modification to thetransaction flow. As discussed above, the modification might be to add astep to the transaction, remove a step from the transaction, and/ormodify a step within the transaction. In some examples, the modificationincludes the transaction flow modification module 210 changing the lookand feel of one or more UIs that are presented during the transactionand/or modifying one or more steps of the transaction.

At 712, the computing device(s) 112 send data associated with themodification to the merchant computing device 108. As discussed above,the data sent by the transaction flow modification module 210, or someother module, might include or indicate executable code to add a step tothe transaction, remove a step from the transaction, and/or modify astep within the transaction.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for modifying atransaction flow between a merchant and a user using payment servicepayment functionality included within a payment service paymentapplication.

At 802, the payment service provides to a merchant, an SDK that includespayment service payment functionality that can be used to develop amerchant application 166A that modifies a transaction flow. Forinstance, a merchant may use the SDK to create a merchant application166A that modifies a UI presented during a transaction between themerchant and a customer.

At 804, the payment service payment application 166B executing on amerchant device 108 receives, from the merchant application 166A, dataassociated with a modification to the transaction flow. As discussedabove, the modification may specify what UIs of the transaction tomodify, what steps of a transaction to modify, as well as otherinformation. For instance, the modification may specify a set ofparameters that are used to determine when to trigger the modificationto the transaction flow.

At 806, the payment service payment application 166B determines whetheror not to modify the transaction flow between the merchant and the user.As discussed above, the payment service payment application 166B mayutilize the set of parameters specified by the merchant to determinewhether or not to modify at least a portion of the transaction flow. Forexample, the set of parameters may indicate to modify a group of UIs forone group of customers and not modify the group of UIs for another groupof customers.

At 808, the payment service payment application 166B generates themodification to the transaction flow. As discussed above, themodification might be to add a step to the transaction, remove a stepfrom the transaction, and/or modify a step within the transaction.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating modification of a receipt provided to a user. At902, the computing device(s) 112 associated with the payment serviceexpose, to a merchant device of a merchant, payment service paymentfunctionality for modifying a receipt. For instance, a merchant may useone or more APIs to modify the information included on a receipt, aswell as other aspects relating to delivery or presentation of thereceipt.

At 904, the computing device(s) 112 receive, from the merchant devicevia the API, data associated with a modification to the receipt. Asdiscussed above, the modification may specify where information ispresented on a receipt, what information is presented on a receipt, whatinformation about a transaction is delivered to the payment service, andthe like.

At 906, the computing device(s) 112 receive, from a merchant application166A and/or a payment service payment application 166B executing on amerchant device information associated with a payment transaction. Asdiscussed above, one or more of the merchant application 166A and/or thepayment service payment application 166B may be utilized by the merchant106 during a transaction between the merchant and a user. Theinformation may include information about: the merchant; the user; thesales person (e.g., an employee of the merchant), and the like.

At 908, the computing device(s) 112 determine whether or not to modifythe receipt. As discussed above, the receipt configuration module 212 ofthe computing device(s) 112 may utilize the set of parameters specifiedby the merchant to determine whether or not to modify the receipt. Forexample, the set of parameters may indicate to modify a receipt withadditional information, move information receipt, and the like.

At 910, the computing device(s) 112 generate the modification to thereceipt. As discussed above, the receipt configuration module 212 of thecomputing device(s) 112 may modify a default receipt to match the set ofparameters specified by the merchant.

At 912, the computing device(s) send data associated with themodification to a device associated with the merchant computing device.In some examples, the receipt configuration module 212 may provide thedata to a merchant device 108. In other examples, the receiptconfiguration module 212 may provide a digital receipt directly to thecustomer.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating modification of a receipt provided to a customerusing a merchant application developed with an SDK that includes paymentservice payment functionality provided by the payment service. At 1002,the payment service provides to a merchant an SDK that includes paymentservice payment functionality for modifying a receipt. For instance, amerchant may use one the SDK to develop a merchant application thatmodifies the default information included on a receipt, as well as otheraspects relating to delivery or presentation of the receipt.

At 1004, a payment service payment application 166B receives, from themerchant application 166A, data associated with a modification to thereceipt. As discussed above, the modification may specify whereinformation is presented on a receipt, what information is presented ona receipt, what information about a transaction is delivered to thepayment service, and the like.

At 1006, the computing device(s) 112 receive, from an applicationexecuting on a merchant device information associated with a paymenttransaction. As discussed above, the merchant application 166A and/orthe payment service payment application 166B may be utilized by themerchant 106 during a transaction between the merchant and a user. Theinformation may include information about: the merchant; the user; thesales person (e.g., an employee of the merchant), and the like.

At 1008, the payment service payment application 166B determines whetheror not to modify the receipt. As discussed above, the payment servicepayment application 166B may utilize the set of parameters specified bythe merchant 106 to determine whether or not to modify the receipt. Forexample, the set of parameters may indicate to modify a receipt withadditional information, move information receipt, and the like.

At 1010, the payment service payment application 166B generates themodification to the receipt. As discussed above, the payment servicepayment application 166B may modify a default receipt to match the setof parameters specified by the merchant.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating communication between applications and paymenthardware utilizing payment service payment functionality exposed by thepayment service. At 1102, the computing device(s) 112 associated withthe payment service expose, to a merchant device associated with apayment service, an API that provides functionality for facilitatingcommunication between applications and payment hardware.

At 1104, a first application is executed on a computing device that isused during a transaction between a merchant and a user. As discussedabove, the first application can be a payment service paymentapplication executing on a merchant device that is utilized by thepayment service to perform operations relating to a payment transactionbetween the merchant and a user.

At 1106, the payment service receives from the first application and/ora second application, an indication that a payment is likely to occurbetween the merchant and a user. As discussed above, the secondapplication can be a third-party merchant application 166A (executing onthe merchant device 108) developed by/for the merchant for performingall or a portion of a transaction. In some examples, the firstapplication is executing in the background and the second application isexecuting in the foreground.

At 1108, a command is sent by the payment service to a payment device toperform an operation associated with the transaction. As discussedabove, the operation may be many types of operations. For example, theoperation can be, but is not limited to, a request for a payment deviceto change states (e.g., from idle to ready or on), a pre-authorizationrequest, a card-less payment authorization, and the like. In someconfigurations, the command is sent using functionality exposed by thecommunication API 222. In other configurations, the command is sentusing some other web based technique, such as transferring data via auniform resource locator or using a web API.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating communication between applications and paymenthardware utilizing payment service payment functionality exposed by thepayment service. At 1202, the payment service provides, to a merchant, aSDK that provides functionality for facilitating communication betweenmerchant applications, payment service payment applications and paymenthardware.

At 1204, a first application and a second application are executed onone or more computing devices that are used during a transaction betweena merchant and a user. As discussed above, the first application can bea payment service payment application 166B executing on a merchantdevice 108 that is utilized by to perform operations relating to apayment transaction between the merchant and a user. The secondapplication can be a third-party merchant application 166A (executing onthe merchant device 108) developed by/for the merchant for performingall or a portion of a transaction. In some examples, the firstapplication is executing in the background and the second application isexecuting in the foreground.

At 1206, the first application receives from the second application, anindication that a payment is likely to occur between the merchant and auser. As discussed above, a payment for the transaction has not occurredat this point.

At 1208, a command is sent by the first application to a payment deviceto perform an operation associated with the transaction. As discussedabove, the operation may be many types of operations. For example, theoperation can be, but is not limited to, a request for a payment deviceto change states (e.g., from idle to ready or on), a pre-authorizationrequest, a card-less payment authorization, and the like. In someconfigurations, the command is sent using functionality provided by theSDK.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating control of a buyer-facing display using applicationprogramming interfaces provided by the payment service. At 1302, thecomputing device(s) 112 associated with the payment service expose, toone or more devices associated with a payment service, an applicationprogramming interface (API) that provides functionality for facilitatingcontrol of a buyer-facing display.

At 1304, a first application is executed on a computing device that isused during a transaction between a merchant and a customer. In someexamples, the first application may be a third party merchantapplication 166A that is developed by/for the merchant 106 and isutilized during the transaction. The first application may be run on auser device 104 or a merchant device 108.

At 1306, an indication is received by the payment service that input hasbeen received via a buyer-facing display. In some configurations, thefirst application determines that input has been received at abuyer-facing display. As discussed above, a customer may inputinformation during a transaction using a buyer-facing display. Thedisplay may be associated with a merchant computing device, a paymentservice computing device and/or a user device.

At 1308, the indication of the input is sent to the merchant device 108.As discussed above, the first application may send the indication of theinput to one or more applications on the merchant device 108. Themerchant device 108 may be any device that is associated with thetransaction between the merchant and the customer.

At 1310, instructions are received from the merchant device via thepayment service. As discussed above, the instructions are received bythe first application. The instructions are used for controllingbehavior of a second application involved in the transaction. Forexample, the second application may be an application that is running inthe foreground and controlling the buyer-facing display.

At 1312, the instructions are sent to the second application. Asdiscussed above, the first application may use the functionality exposedby the buyer-facing display control API 222 for communicating with thesecond application. The second application then uses these instructionsto control the buyer-facing display (e.g., presenting a different UI).

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process of a paymentservice facilitating control of a buyer-facing display using an SDKprovided by the payment service. At 1402, the payment service provides,to one or more merchants, a SDK for developing an application forfacilitating control of a buyer-facing display.

At 1404, a first application is executed on a computing device that isused during a transaction between a merchant and a user. In someexamples, the first application may be a third party merchantapplication 166A that is developed by/for the merchant 106 and isutilized during the transaction. The first application may be run on auser device 104 or a merchant device 108.

At 1406, an indication is received from the first application that inputhas been received via a buyer-facing display. In some configurations,the first application determines that input has been received at abuyer-facing display. As discussed above, a user may input informationduring a transaction using a buyer-facing display. The display may beassociated with a merchant computing device, a payment service computingdevice and/or a user device.

At 1408, the indication of the input is sent to the merchant device 108.As discussed above, the first application may send the indication of theinput to one or more applications on the merchant device 108. Forexample, the input may be sent to a merchant application executing onthe merchant device 108 and/or the input may be sent to a paymentservice payment application 166B executing on the merchant device 108.The merchant device 108 may be any device that is associated with thetransaction between the merchant and the user.

At 1410, instructions to control the buyer-facing display are receivedfrom the merchant device. As discussed above, the instructions arereceived by the first application. The instructions are used forcontrolling behavior of a second application involved in thetransaction. For example, the second application may be an applicationthat is running in the foreground and controlling the buyer-facingdisplay.

At 1412, the instructions are sent to the second application. Asdiscussed above, the first application may use the functionalityprovided within the SDK for communicating with the second application.The second application then uses these instructions to control thebuyer-facing display (e.g., presenting a different UI).

As previously stated, each of the above discussed scenarios is merely anexample and many variations are possible. Moreover, many variations ofthe techniques discussed above are possible as well without departingfrom the scope of this disclosure. For example, the techniques andsystems disclosed herein may be utilized in contexts other than openticket transactions. In a particular variation, the techniques andsystems disclosed herein may be utilized in the context of inventorysynchronization between merchant devices in a manner similar to thatdiscussed above.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms ofimplementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more computingdevices associated with a payment service that processes transactionsfor multiple merchants including a first merchant and a second merchant,the one or more computing devices programmed to perform acts including:receiving, from a merchant device of the first merchant, a first requestassociated with a first payment transaction between the first merchantand a first buyer, the first request including an indication indicatinga first set of parameters that are not associated with modificationmodules for modifying one or more user interfaces (UIs) of a standardset of payment flow UIs associated with payment transaction processing,the modification modules including code to call one or more applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs) exposed by the payment service; sending,to the merchant device of the first merchant and based at least in parton the first request associated with the first payment transaction, afirst communication that causes the first merchant device to present thestandard set of payment flow UIs; receiving, from one or more computingdevices of the second merchant, an indication indicating at least onemodification module of the modification modules; receiving, from the oneor more computing devices of the second merchant, an indicationindicating a second set of parameters that trigger generating, based atleast in part on the at least one modification module, at least onemodified UI that is not included in the standard set of payment flowUIs; receiving, from a payment service payment application configured toexecute on the one or more computing devices of the second merchant, asecond request associated with a second payment transaction between thesecond merchant and a second buyer; and sending, to the one or morecomputing devices of the second merchant and based at least in part onthe second request associated with the second payment transaction, asecond communication that causes the payment service payment applicationto present, at least partly via the one or more computing devices of thesecond merchant, a modified set of payment flow UIs that includes themodified UI.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the acts further compriseexposing, to the first merchant device and the one or more merchantdevices of the second merchant, the APIs.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the acts further comprise determining a second set of parametersfor triggering, based at least in part on the at least one modificationmodule, generation of at least one modified UI that is not included inthe standard set of payment flow UIs.
 4. The system of claim 3, whereinthe second request includes an indication indicating the second set ofparameters.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the payment servicepayment application is executable by the one or more computing devicesof the second merchant to perform acts comprising: sending, to the oneor more service computing devices, the second request associated withthe second payment transaction; and presenting, at least partly via theone or more computing devices of the second merchant, the modified setof payment flow UIs that includes the modified UI.
 6. A payment servicecomprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readablemedia storing instructions executable by the one or more processorsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or moreprocessors to perform acts including receiving, from a payment servicepayment application executing on a computing device of a merchant, arequest associated with a transaction between the merchant and a user,determining that a transaction flow is to be modified based, at least inpart, on a modification request defined, at least in part, by themerchant, generating one or more modifications to the transaction flow,and sending, to the payment service payment application, a communicationthat causes the payment service payment application to present the oneor more modifications to the transaction flow.
 7. The payment service ofclaim 6, wherein generating the one or more modifications to thetransaction flow comprises generating, at least one modified UI that isnot included in a standard set of UIs, wherein the at least one modifiedUI is specified, at least in part, by the merchant.
 8. The paymentservice of claim 6, the acts further comprising exposing, to thecomputing device of the merchant, an application programming interface(API) that includes functionality for requesting the one or moremodifications to the transaction flow associated with one or moretransactions between the merchant and the customer.
 9. The paymentservice of claim 8, wherein the API exposes functionality for modifyinguser interfaces associated with a standard payment flow.
 10. The paymentservice of claim 8, wherein determining that the transaction flow is tobe modified comprising receiving, from the computing device of themerchant, an indication via the API indicating at least one modificationmodule to be utilized to generate the one or more modifications.
 11. Thepayment service of claim 8, wherein determining that the transactionflow is to be modified comprises identifying that a condition, specifiedby the merchant, is triggered based, at least in part, on an identity ofthe user.
 12. The payment service of claim 8, further comprising adatabase and wherein the acts further comprise receiving from themerchant the modification request that specifies a first set ofparameters for triggering, generation of at least one modified step thatis not included in a standard set of payment flow steps and storing thefirst set of parameters within the database.
 13. The payment service ofclaim 8, wherein the acts further comprise receiving via the API a firstset of parameters for triggering, generation of the one or moremodifications to the transaction flow associated with the merchant andreceiving via the API a second set of parameters for triggering,generation of one or more modifications to a second transaction flowassociated with a second merchant.
 14. A method comprising: receiving atone or more computing devices of a payment service, from a paymentservice payment application executing on a computing device of amerchant, a request associated with a transaction between the merchantand a user; determining that a transaction flow is to be modified based,at least in part, on a modification to a standard transaction flowdefined, at least in part, by the merchant; generating a modification tothe transaction flow; and sending, to the payment service paymentapplication, a communication that causes the payment service paymentapplication to present the modification to the transaction flow.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein generating the modification to thetransaction flow comprises generating, a modified user interface (UI)that is presented during the transaction flow, wherein at least aportion of the modified UI is generated based, at least in part, on aspecification defined by the merchant.
 16. The method of claim 14,further comprising exposing, by a payment service, an applicationprogramming interface (API) that includes functionality for modifyingthe transaction flow.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thefunctionality for modifying the transaction flow includes functionalityfor modifying the UI and other UIs associated with a standard paymentflow.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that thetransaction flow is to be modified comprising receiving, from thecomputing device of the merchant, an indication via the API indicatingat least one modification module used to generate the modification. 19.The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the transaction flow isto be modified comprises identifying that a condition, specified by themerchant, is triggered based, at least in part, on one or more of anidentity of the user or an identity of the merchant.
 20. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising receiving from the merchant themodification, the modification identifying a set of parameters fortriggering, generation of the modification.